Organic food producer and Wevelgem based supplier of kitchen technology become official partners of the team.
How to fuel for success has never been a hotter topic in cycling than as now, with an increased focus on nutrition for performance in recent times. As important as how much food a cyclist eats is what they eat, making sure that the ingredients are of the best quality and being able to trace the source and process of where the food has come from.
This food then needs to be prepared properly, by skilled chefs, who require the best equipment available. The travelling nature of cycling can make this challenging even for experienced chefs and kitchen staff, putting even more emphasis on the quality of the equipment available and the quality of the ingredients used.
That is why Soudal Quick-Step is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with the organic food producer Alce Nero, and Lafosse: the supplier and fitter of premium kitchen equipment, like the STOOF professional induction stoves. Both will work with the team, our nutritionists and chefs to deliver a coordinated and joined up nutrition plan, aimed at fuelling success for our riders.
To demonstrate this, two of our riders, Tim Merlier and Bert Van Lerberghe recently visited the Lafosse showroom, which is close to our service course in Wevelgem. As you can see in this video, despite being able to guide Tim through some tricky sprint finishes, Bert needed the help of chef Sven to guide them around the kitchen. But the quality of the STOOF equipment and the Alce Nero ingredients meant that they were easily able to make a delicious and nutritious chicken pesto, although they did have to do the washing up at the end!
Alce Nero are organic farmers and processors who have been working since 1978 to produce delicious food, which are the result of farming practices that respect the land and its fertility, They bring together more than 1,000 farmers in Italy and over 10,000 small family-run farms in Central and South America. They will provide the team with ingredients like pasta, rice, sauces, pestos and more. Their products are made from ingredients grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, thanks to state-of-the-art agronomic capacities, with utmost respect for the land and the people who cultivate it.
Lafosse was founded in 1979 in Wevelgem as an installer of professional kitchen equipment and merged in 2019 with a custom made stainless steel manufacturer to form the LAVA Group BV, which is also the parent company of STOOF, the brand for professional induction stoves. They have grown to become the reference point for quality kitchen equipment for both private and professional chefs. Their wide range of products will be available to our chefs in our new kitchen truck that is due to arrive with the team very soon.
Speaking of the agreement, Soudal Quick-Step nutritionist Lisa Nijbroek said: “As part of a carefully planned nutrition plan, we are always looking for ingredients that can help our riders perform to their best, while still being delicious and appetising. This often means looking for trusted brands, where we know how the food has come from the farm to the fork. Working with Alce Nero means we do not have to worry about the food having been through any processes that could harm its quality and depreciate from its nutritious qualities.
The food then needs to be prepared properly and even the most skilled chefs need the correct equipment, and that is why we are delighted that we can use STOOF in our Lafosse kitchen. The quality of their equipment opens further options for our chefs to make a wider range of recipes and menu options for our riders.”
“We are very excited to start this partnership with Soudal Quick-Step. As Alce Nero, we’re always working to produce healthy food tailored to people’s well-being. This is why we're keen to work in the world of sports, with the main purpose of raising awareness on how the food we choose is crucial because it is part of the “ingredients” that define the psycho-physical balance of those who practice sports, even at high competitive levels. The fact that Soudal Quick-Step has chosen Alce Nero for its athletes, for us is a significant signal that values the culture of good, organic food to which we have been committed for the past 45 years”, said Chiara Marzaduri, Alce Nero Communication Manager.
“Lafosse always shows passion in its strive towards perfection, when creating and installing kitchens”, says Karel Lafosse, commercial director and partner with LAVA Group BV, “Just like the Soudal Quick-Step riders demonstrate during the race. That’s why we are so excited to partner up with the team”. “Furthermore, the international approach and ambitions of Soudal Quick-Step reflect our own international ambitions with our STOOF brand”, according to Benjamin Vandorpe, managing director of LAVA Group BV.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
Bert Van Lerberghe 